Dolphins wrap: What's happening to Miami's defense?

Karlos Dansby just misses an interception in the endzone late in the second… (Jim Rassol, Sun Sentinel )

November 20, 2012|By Omar Kelly, Sun Sentinel

There are a ton of contradictions taking place with the Miami Dolphins defense.

The Dolphins are one of the NFL's best units when it comes to defending the red zone (touchdowns are allowed 37.1% of the time, which is second best in the NFL), and stopping teams on third downs (33.1%). But defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle's unit is ranked 21st in yards allowed, giving up 363.1 a game.

The Dolphins (4-6) have been one of the NFL's top three teams against the run for the previous two seasons, holding opponents to 3.6 and 3.7 yards per carry in consecutive years. Miami spent most of this season ranked amongst the NFL's top five teams in that important category. But the defensive front has allowed four of Miami's past five opponents to rush for more than 100 yards per game, and the Dolphins are now averaging 3.8 yards per carry after allowing 4.6 the past five weeks.

But the defense's biggest contradictions come from the secondary, where strong safety Reshad Jones is rated by ProFootballFocus.com as the second best safety in the NFL (this week) and Chris Clemons is in the top 20. But Miami's pass defense has resembled Swiss cheese lately.

The head scratcher is the fact big plays - which the safeties are responsible for - are the issue considering only three teams have allowed more passes of 20-plus yards this season. However, the Dolphins have allowed opposing quarterback to complete just 56.8 percent of their passes, which is respectable.

Opposing quarterbacks have a 80.1 cumulative quarterback rating after 9 games. Only nine teams have a lower quarterback rating, which means there are only nine secondaries better than the Dolphins at defending the pass. Only six teams have allowed fewer than the 12 touchdown passes.

The entire defense has dropped off within the past month, contributing to the team's three-game losing streak. Run stopping is weak. Third down conversions are up. Completion percentages are high. Penalties are present. Pass rushing is down.

Paul Soliai has a elbow issue. Jimmy Wilson and Nolan Carroll have leg and knee issues they've been battling through. Koa Misi is battling a calf sprain, and Olivier Vernon had a knee swell up last week, which resulted in snaps being limited against Buffalo. And those are just the injuries I know about.

But that's the NFL. Injuries are part of the game. Unfortunately for Miami all the injuries have contributed to the Dolphins' once stingy defense falling back to the pack. It has also forced Coyle's hand in how his unit can play.

The big question is can it be fixed before the season spirals out of control?